A widespread scam has now arrived on WhatsApp, as the police and the LKA warn. So far, this nasty trick was only known on the phone.
The police are warning of a new variant of the so-called grandchild trick, in which the scammers use the WhatsApp messenger service.
In the past three months alone, 123 crimes have become known across the country, and the scammers have been successful in 42 of these cases State Criminal Police Office (LKA) Schleswig Holstein with Damage of more than 113,000 euros was incurred. “We assume a high number of unreported cases, since many attempts at fraud are probably not reported at all,” said an LKA spokeswoman.
“Enkeltrick” goes digital and is even meaner
The classic grandchild trick has been around for years. Scammers look in the phone book for first names that indicate an old person. Then you call the pensioner, pretend to be a grandson or granddaughter and want money. An emergency situation is often played out and psychological pressure is exerted on the elderly.
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With WhatsApp, the grandchild trick is even more difficult to see through and is therefore not only aimed at supposed grandparents, but also at parents. Potential victims now receive a message that begins with: “Hello mom, I have a new number…”. That reports the Police in North Rhine-Westphalia. The message, which begins harmlessly, always ends with a request for a money transfer.
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The best protection from the mesh
First of all, you should always be careful with messages that want to inform you about a number changeb. Namely, WhatsApp has a built-in feature that lets you know when one of your contacts changes numbers.
Another way to protect yourself from the rip-off with the grandchild trick on WhatsApp is also very simple. Only save the new number and only answer after you have contacted the old number. So it is best to call the current number that you have from the person concerned and clarify the matter personally. If you don’t have children, you can block the number directly.